ITV Studios’ ‘Helsinki Crimes’ Recommissioned – Global Bulletin

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor “Rust” resumed filming Thursday at the Yellowstone ranch in Montana, a year and a half after Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Director Joel Souza, who was injured in the shooting at a New Mexico movie ranch, is returning to finish the Western that stars Baldwin, Jensen Ackles, Travis Fimmel, Frances Fisher and Brady Noon. Manslaughter charges against Baldwin were officially dropped Friday. While production is under way, Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy is working on a documentary about Baldwin and the “Rust” movie accident, Variety has confirmed. Kennedy, who has directed documentaries including “Last Days in Vietnam” and “Ethel,” was seen filming Baldwin as he left his New York home for Montana and her documentary crew is also on set in Montana, according to the Daily Mail.

One day after New Mexico authorities announced they were dropping the involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin, Deadline is reporting that Baldwin has landed a new film role.

Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter charges were officially dismissed Friday. Special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis announced the decision Thursday as "new facts" have been revealed that require further investigation. In their motion to dismiss, the special prosecutors noted the further investigation and forensic analysis required cannot be completed before the start of the preliminary hearing on May 3.

EXCLUSIVE: One day after New Mexico dropped criminal charges against Rust actor and producer Alec Baldwin in the tragic set death of DP Halyna Hutchins, Deadline has learned that the Oscar nominee and multi-Emmy winner is set to star in Mike Hatton’s feature directorial debut, Hollywood Heist.

Alec Baldwin is speaking out after it was announced prosecutors are dropping all charges against him in the Rust shooting case.

K.J. Yossman ITVX and Apple TV+ have bucked the U.K.’s downward trend in streamer subscriptions by showing strong growth. According to the analysis from consultancy Kantar, the number of households in the U.K. that subscribe to at least one streaming service fell in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the first quarter of 2022. The first three months of this year showed 16.10 million households subscribed to at least one streamer while the first quarter of 2022 the figure was 16.91 million and the figure for the same quarter in 2021 was 16.95 million. Despite the consistent drop over the last two years, the research showed that ITVX’s premium service – which launched in the last quarter of 2023, replacing ITV’s previous streaming platform ITV Hub – gained the most number of new SVOD subscribers in the quarter. They were followed by Apple TV+.

Naman Ramachandran “The Song of Scorpions,” starring Irrfan Khan, Golshifteh Farahani and Waheeda Rehman, written and directed by Anup Singh, will be released in India by Panorama Films and 70mm Talkies on April 28. The film’s release in India was withheld due to the pandemic in 2021. “The Song of Scorpions” is a story of twisted love, revenge and the redemptive power of a song. Nooran, carefree and defiantly independent, is a tribal woman learning the ancient art of healing from her grandmother, a revered scorpion-singer. When Aadam, a camel trader in the Rajasthan desert, hears her sing, he falls desperately in love. But even before they can get to know each other better, Nooran is poisoned by a treachery that sets her on a perilous journey to avenge herself and find her song.

K.J. Yossman Earlier this year ITV Studios, which reps shows ranging from “Love Island” to “Schitt’s Creek,” revealed it was merging its global distribution and entertainment arms. On Tuesday afternoon, Ruth Berry, the woman who was appointed to lead the now joint arms, set out the strategy behind the move during a keynote discussion at Mip TV in Cannes. “I think we’re bringing together the formats and the finished programming businesses to create a singular multi-genre multi-brand multi-dimensional commercial business to the heart of the studio,” Berry explained. “Be that deficit financing and licencing rights to brilliant scripted slates, rolling out new formats like ‘My Mum, Your Dad’ and ‘Scared of the Dark,’ merchandising ‘Schitts Creek’ products, selling ‘Love Island’ water bottles, moving into the Metaverse, you know, all these things, having them in one place.”

ITV Studios has forged a Global Partnerships division combining formats and finished tape, helmed by the newly-promoted Ruth Berry, who detailed her new role, the Plimsoll acquisition and FAST opportunities.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Sydney Film Festival will present ‘Jane Campion – Her Way,’ a retrospective of films by the pioneering director. Campion herself will appear in conversation with David Stratton on June 10 at the 2023 edition of the festival, its 70th anniversary presentation (June 7-18). Held in association with ACMI and the National Film and Sound Archive, ‘Jane Campion – Her Way’ will encompass screenings of all nine of Campion’s feature films, as well as a selection of her short films. The selection will go on to tour the ACMI in Melbourne (June 15 – July 2) and at NFSA in Canberra (July 20-30). “For our 70th edition, we wanted to present a retrospective commensurate with the milestone, reflecting the audacious and boundary pushing filmmaking synonymous with our festival and region. Campion is a ground-breaking filmmaker who has made a profound impact on cinema with her daring and unforgettable films,” said Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley.

Naman Ramachandran U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has commissioned a documentary on Prince Andrew as part of its programming around the coronation of his brother, King Charles III. Andrew’s disastrous 2019 interview with then “Newsnight” anchor Emily Maitlis was widely mocked and condemned and proved to be the catalyst in Andrew’s banishment from public life. In the new two-part documentary “Andrew – The Problem Prince” (working title) from Channel 4 and A&E, Maitlis speaks in detail about the interview. The documentary uses archive footage, interviews with BBC producer Sam McAlister and exclusive access to palace insiders, to uncover the inside story of the interview and unravel the scandal that led to his fall from grace.

K.J. Yossman “Absolutely Fabulous” star Joanna Lumley is going to guest anchor Sky News’ coverage of King Charles III’s coronation next month after attending the ceremony itself as a guest.

K.J. Yossman Production head Alison Barnett has been unveiled as the recipient of this year’s BAFTA Television Craft Special Award in honor of her pioneering role as one of U.K. television’s first female head of productions. Barnett, who has worked in television for forty years, is currently head of production at Kudos. She has worked on shows including “Doctor Who” and “The Rig.” “I’m overwhelmed to receive this award from BAFTA,” said Barnett. “But mainly I’m delighted to receive it on behalf of all those unsung heroes who work in production offices throughout the television industry. This is a chance for them to be recognised today too.” The BAFTA TV Craft Awards are set to take place on April 23 in London, with former “Great British Baking Show” presenter Mel Giedroyc hosting the ceremony.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief A growing range of Thai, Japanese and Chinese-language films and TV shows are reaching global audiences – joining the by-now well-established international viewership for South Korean shows.Netflix’s Global Top 10 for the week April 3-10, sees made-for-streaming Korean title “Kill Boksoon” on top of the non-English-language films list, with 27.5 million hours watched in its second week of release. It is immediately followed by Thai film “Hunger,” about a young woman apprentice in an upmarket restaurant working under a tough boss. The film is directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri and stars “Bad Genius” breakout Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief ITV has commissioned a second season of the comedy-drama series “The Dry” for ITVX. It will be produced by Element Pictures (part of Fremantle), in association with Fís Eireann/Screen Ireland and ITV Studios, in partnership with RTÉ. Nancy Harris (Dates) and acclaimed director Paddy Breathnach (Viva, Rosie) will return to helm the second season, which will stream exclusively on ITVX next year. The first season was made available to view for free on the streamer last month. With the story picking up seven months after the end of the first, Roisin Gallagher will return as recovering alcoholic Shiv Sheridan, alongside regular cast members from the first series. Further casting details will be confirmed later. in due course.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Michelle Yeoh, star of the globally acclaimed Oscar-winning film “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” will serve as guest of honor and advisor at the fifth Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival, a platform for young visual artists and one of the largest short film festivals in the world. The festival takes place in Fukuoka, Japan. Other new guests include Maggie Q (“Mission Impossible: III,” the “Divergent” franchise and CW series “Nikita”), film editor Gabriella Cristiani and Stephen Castor (“Spider-Man”), co-CEO of It’s Just Us Productions, Rocket Science 3D and Rocket Science Motion Capture Studios, franchise.

Hilaria Baldwin penned a loving tribute to her husband, Alec Baldwin, in celebration of his 65th birthday in a new Instagram post uploaded on Monday.  The yoga instructor, 39, could be seen posing with the Emmy-winning actor and their seven children in the family photo shared to her 1 million fans and followers.  The two lovebirds, who officially tied the knot in 2012, recently reached another milestone earlier Sunday by celebrating the 11th anniversary of their engagement.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Amazon MiniTV, a free-of-charge service within the Amazon shopping app and on Fire TV, will next month begin airing short-form teen romance series “Gutar Gu.” The show is produced by Guneet Monga and Sikhya Productions, whose “The Elephant Whisperers” recently won the Oscar for best documentary short. “We at Sikhya are super excited to work with director Saqib Pandor, transforming our well-received short film into its own web series! “Gutar Gu” – a new chapter in the story of Ritu and Anuj, dives deep into the many ups and downs of teenage relationships- navigating strict parents, dating protocols, and the innocence and moments of first love,” said Monga.

Naman Ramachandran Blue Ant Media and World of Wonder have launch free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel Drag Race Universe on Amazon Freevee in the U.S. Programming launch highlights on the Drag Race Universe channel include: “Canada’s Drag Race” seasons 2 and 3 (19 x 60’), “RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K. vs The World” (6 x 60’), “RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K.” seasons 2 and 3 (20 x 60’). “Drag Race Holland” (8 x 60’), “Drag Race Espana” (10 x 60’), “RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under” seasons 1 and 2 (16 x 60’), the first season of “Drag Race Philippines” (10 x 60’) and “Drag Race Philippines Untucked” (10 x 30’), its companion series that follows the backstage drama.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “The Bad Kids,” a hit series from Chinese streamer iQiyi, is to be remade as a Japanese feature film “Gold Boy.” The 12-episode gritty crime thriller depicts the troubles that arise after three children accidentally film a murder. The series was previously licensed to Japanese pay-TV group Wowow.